<p>My junior daughter and I were at an Easter Egg hunt Saturday and happened to meet a woman who is now retired from teaching voice. She is very well thought of (actually a rival of sorts with my daughter's voice teacher), and had trained a number of kids at the high school that were strong in show choirs, went on to do voice or theater in college, etc. When my daughter told her of her plans to pursue an MT BFA this woman talked for probably 20 minutes on why she should not do that, how directors don't ever care if you've done a MT degree, that she should use college to get a degree that gave her career options, that she'd be waiting tables in NYC, that her son had starred on Broadway and quit, that there are so many options for the performing arts besides getting an MT degree, that colleges have added MT degrees esssentially as just a way of getting more tuition money, and so on. When my daughter explained there is nothing else she feels passionate about it was sort of dismissed. </p>
<p>I found this troubling on several fronts. One is that there was an assumption that everyone going into MT aspires to a Broadway career (my daughter actually wnts to work for Disney, then see what goes from there). But the others, like the idea that an MT degree doesn't carry any weight in the professional world, is the first I've heard of such. I'm wondering if others here have had these sorts of issues thrown in front of them and what their thoughts were?</p>
<p>Hmmm. I have only heard the opposite. 2 summers ago when my daughter attended “Making it on Broadway”, one of the sessions was a BA vs BFA discussion. A well-known casting director presented for the BFA – she said that when she sees that someone has a BFA in MT, she knows what kind of training they’ve received and it does make a difference. Granted, that is only one person, but all you have to do is read the bios in Playbills to see that the majority of actors were MT or Theatre majors somewhere.</p>
<p>Well, we do know more than a few folks working for Disney and not a one has an MT BFA. It’s very easy to find theatrical success stories who did not study singing, dancing,and acting in college. Two reasonably high-profile schools we visited seemed oddly proud of their drop-outs. That voice teacher is probably statistically correct in suggesting that most of these MT students are not realistically jumping on the train to stardom. Personally, I very much wanted college to be about the artistic training she was seeking along with a viable education from a well-respected university.</p>
<p>I think the information she gave about the colleges adding MT programs to get tuition money is just plain wrong. We were told by the head of a very good MT program that the MT departments lose money…think about it. Very small programs (e.g., very few students) and lots of professors to teach voice, dance and acting. In addition, putting on the productions is very expensive, and is not always made up by ticket sales. So, if she is wrong on that point, she may indeed be wrong on other points. Also, my D was at one NYC audition where everyone who got past the typing had a MT degree (or were in the process of getting one) from a prestigious school, even if they did not look the part. I would hazard a guess that this woman does not know what she is talking about…how could additional, excellent training in voice, dance and acting be a bad thing? Of course it doesn’t guarantee a job when you get out, but if it is your child’s passion, what are your options…?</p>
<p>Also, I’m pretty sure from what school matters. Obviously, there are a few that are huge door-openers but when you get past the top five or ten I’m still not convinced that BFA trumps overall school reputation. And, in the end it’s still about the audition.</p>
<p>When my son was in HS he had an opportunity to attend a workshop conducted by a casting director for Disney. At the end of the day parents were invited in for a Q & A with this man. The vast majority of questions were about college/s. He view was NOT to get a BFA, definitely get a BA and not necessarily in theater/MT. He said he saw tons of BFA/MT kids and their focus was so narrow they had nothing to bring to the table. He said a good actor has lived life beyond the stage and has an education that is broadening rather than narrow.</p>
<p>Maybe this is something to think about.</p>
<p>The harsh truth is that the majority of these kids will never see a professional stage. It’s very scary.</p>
<p>Have heard the same comments as SRW. My son attended a children’s acting program for several years that turned out quite a few working actors, (Michael J Fox being the biggest star) and their advice has always been to get a liberal arts degree and broaden your world view rather than go to college for acting (or MT). I have heard the same thing from a lot of working stage actors. My son, of course, is not taking this advice…</p>
<p>I’ve heard of two different artistic directors in my big city saying the same thing to talented young people - get your degree in anything else, and just keep up with your voice/singing/acting training on the side just like you did in high school. I also heard a voice teacher “to the stars” in NYC say the same thing.
This advice made my daughter more determined to make sure the college she attends has a faculty that can help rocket her up in her abilities…there’s no point in going after a BFA just for the paper, is there?</p>
<p>Our D had been told similar things by people in the industry who she respects. Her decision was to seek the best of both worlds – a school that provides MT training which is well respected in the industry, as well as the opportunity to earn a double major from a very highly respected university in 4 years. So far she couldn’t be happier with her choice.</p>
<p>D also notices that most (not all) of the kids she knows who already have Broadway experience are tending toward BA’s at top universities versus MT BFAs.</p>
<p>It’s been a really long time since I have posted anything here! </p>
<p>My D did a couple of professional shows, but in her first one was told adamantly by the seasoned professional cast members (she had just graduated HS at the time) to NOT major in theatre, dance or any other performing arts-type degree. They urged her to get a more broad education and keep up her training, as others have said. </p>
<p>She did this while attending college in NYC. in the meantime, she discovered a love of neuroscience and now is working on her PhD. This after, literally, training all her life (well, from age 5- 20) to be on stage! You just never know! </p>
<p>I would have heartily supported her either way she chose to go.</p>
<p>This CAN be true but it certainly isn’t universally true. Not all BFA kids have a narrow focus. One possibility is that the majority of theatre kids never audition for Disney so it’s possible that that was his problem. I personally know hundreds of actors and theatre students and can only think of a few who ever auditioned for Disney.</p>
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<p>This is not unusual advice to get from seasoned pros. I’ve heard it from several actors I know but it’s not for the reasons that many would think. It’s a result of general frustration with the profession, and not because they think that another path would have resulted in a more successful acting career.</p>
<p>I just find this so interesting, as you open up a playbill and really, you find a slew of mt/theatre/whatever performing arts degree. Possibly the best route would be to double major then? Develop as a person with a craft, rather than a person who is a craft?</p>
<p>Doesn’t this depend on the kid? There is no way of knowing what kind of path a young person will end up heading down. IF my D was the type of student who could get into Northwestern to get the best of both worlds - I would be thrilled - but she’s just not. And, NOT because she doesn’t work hard. She does, and she does well in school, but it doesn’t come easily, and she doesn’t test well despite trying VERY hard. Her choice regarding BFA vs BA was CCM or Ithaca vs. Muhlenberg. Since what she wants to do is MT, I figure, give her the best shot by going to a top BFA program - for now. Who knows what the future brings. We will support her later if she needs to go for a different degree. And, yes - she is very lucky that we can do that. </p>
<p>I think a lot of this advice comes from people who have been through the ringer in this profession, and who truly understand how hard it is to make a livable wage - even if you are working. And, honestly, if I thought my D might discover a love of neuroscience, or law, or business - I would be much more likely to push for a school where those choices would be an option. But, in her case - I just don’t see it. So, for now - my job is to help her make a choice that will provide her with the best training, contacts, and life skills to optimize the slim chance that she can work in her, to date, chosen profession.</p>
<p>It’s not ideal, but she is very talented and very driven, and has some hard knock first-hand knowledge of the business. So - we will see!</p>
<p>MomCares - very possibly! My D will be attending CCM in the fall as a freshman. When we met with Aubrey Berg last week - his message was (not a direct quote) - if you can imagine yourself doing anything else - please go run and do that. If you have to do this, our mission is to challenge you and train you so that you have a better chance of working in this industry. He made a point, of saying that doesn’t necessarily mean broadway.</p>
<p>@blueskies1108 - We cross posted! Based on D’s friends at CCM, your D will get some of the finest MT training available anywhere and with one of the most reasonable pricetags going, so I think you made a FANTASTIC choice and congratulations to her!!</p>
<p>In the interest of full disclosure, D is in the third quarter of her freshman year and hasn’t yet discovered her inner neurosurgeon. ;-D</p>
<p>She did, however, call in tears last quarter because she had signed up for an extra academic class, planning to drop at least one after she got a feel for the various profs, but had fallen SO in love with EVERY class that she couldn’t figure out which one to drop. Her words were “not only is every textbook interesting, but the professors WROTE the textbooks!” We saw that as an encouraging sign that in her case pursuing broad interests was a great choice</p>
<p>I agree that many professional actors might say to get a degree in something else for the reason that they know how hard it is to make it in theater and so might encourage someone to pursue another educational path in order to have better odds of being employed in a field other than acting. </p>
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<p>I agree that not all BFA kids have a narrow focus! My kid obtained a BFA and I don’t think she is narrowly focused on just performing in musicals. For one thing, her BFA program included quite a bit of academics (NYU). She did not only learn to sing, act, and dance there! Further, her professional life includes many facets of the arts…performing in musicals/theater, singer/songwriter, MT writer/composer, musical director, and so on. I don’t feel her life is narrowly focused! Not to mention she has many jobs and is constantly working 24/7 in her field. And since Disney was mentioned, I will add that a couple of hours ago, my D was just hired by Disney as a writer/composer! </p>
<p>A BFA or BA…neither one means a career that is totally narrowly focused or that a graduate can only do ONE thing.</p>
You just never know! </p>
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